Wear the armor from Hateno Village (upgrade it at the Great Fairy Fountain near Kakariko Village) and chug something with a high-level defense effect (you might have to go exploring a fair distance to find enough different ingredients) and you can facetank the strongest monsters hilariously. However, it'll still take a long time if you're still running around with, like, Soldier-tier stuff.

Some additional tips: if you've gotten the Stasis+ upgrade at Hateno Village, that's a good tool to use against big enemies. Most enemies will be stunned briefly if you shoot them in the face, and that applies even more so to big ones. Shields will block pretty much everything at melee range and no small number of projectiles, though you can't rely too much on those because of limited durability and elemental effects.

What I like to do is knock 'em down with a headshot, get in close with the other thing I mentioned above, and hit 'em with a claymore spin attack that depletes my entire stamina bar.

Be careful using food/elixir effects, because you can only have one active effect at a time (not counting the bonuses from your clothes).

I went to check out that mysterious island north of the Akkala lab. I decided pretty quickly to never return.

I'm sitting at about seven hearts and an encircled stamina meter, and there's just huge swathes of land to the north and west I haven't touched yet. I keep discovering so much stuff, I don't want my buds to miss experiencing all this when we play along together.

The shrines that use the motion controls tripped me up fierce, since I wasn't using them. I totally forgot it was a thing.

Also I was busy fighting a wizzrobe and electric keese when I got distracted by something huge moving on the river. "What IS that?" I asked. It was a dragon. That's one way to discover something incredible: Be so engrossed in not-dying that you realize it was there the whole time and deliver a deadpan "What."

There's a shrine near the Zora Castle that apparently requires a Ceremonial Trident to open. One of the Zora in the palace mentions that he dropped it off the bridge and it should still be down there, but incantnfindnit anywhere. It's not lying under the Zora Bridge, and I tried scouring underneath it with Magnekinesis but couldn't find it.

It's underneath the bridge heading northwest from Zora's Domain. You'll need to make a few Cryonis blocks to reach it, as it's too far away to reach with Magnesis.

Thanks. I just left that one alone because I didn't know which bridge the dude was talking about, and didn't feel like finding out at that particular moment.

I found the spot where you need gems. Don't sell all of your gems. Don't sell rubies and sapphires, but more importantly, I think keep at least one diamond. Remember that you can exchange luminous stone for diamonds.

Edit: the total amount you'll need to get one of everything is something like: 3 diamonds, 3 rubies, 3 sapphires, 5 topaz, 8 opal, 10 amber, 10 flint, and a shitload of rupees. You'll need more of each for upgrades, too!

I loved everything about that Ruta dungeon. Fighting my way up the road to Zora's Domain. The mini-quest beforehand collecting shock arrows from the red lynel (who I think the game wanted me to sneak past, but I just killed anyway). The approach swimming on the prince's back and blasting ice projectiles and swimming up waterfalls. The dungeon itself (which did feel a bit small, but the puzzles were good) and the boss battle I rocked the shit out of.

Even Mipha's story was touching and a little sad, I wanted desperately for her to still be alive somehow.

That this is just the first of four makes me super stoked for the others.